Philadelphia Sixers Purchased Items from Dr. J’s Memorabilia Sale

In a classy gesture, the Sixers bought back a whole bunch of stuff from Julius Erving in his wildly successful memorabilia sale. From the AP: “His sneakers are returning to Philadelphia. The Philadelphia 76ers are hopeful Dr. J will come along for the ride. A day after the Sixers swooped in and collected some Julius Erving memorabilia, team CEO Adam Aron said he has reached out to Dr. J about joining the organization in some capacity. ‘We’d like to bring Dr. J back to Philadelphia,’ Aron said Monday. ‘He’s only one of the greatest 76ers of all time. We’d love to see Julius Erving have a connection with the 76ers in some shape or fashion. I don’t know what, exactly.’ The Sixers hope that their purchase of Julius Erving’s memorabilia will help convince the Hall of Famer to re-establish his connection with the franchise. Erving’s retired No. 6 already hangs in the rafters — and soon Philadelphia fans will feel more connected to the Hall of Famer. The team bought 10 lots containing 18 items from Erving’s personal basketball memorabilia collection auction that ended over the weekend. SCP Auctions said more than 140 items from Erving’s collection sold for a record $3.5 million. Among the highlights: His 1974 New York Nets ABA championship ring sold for $460,471, a record price for a sports ring. Neither that ring nor Erving’s 1983 76ers NBA championship landed with the franchise. Aron said all the items the team won were $10,000 or less. Erving is aware the 76ers bought merchandise at the auction. He was not immediately available for comment. Erving told The Associated Press last month he’s never been a ‘hoarder or collector,’ and planned to donate a portion of the auction proceeds to the Salvation Army.”